Ranking Every HBO Drama Series From Worst To Best
1. The Sopranos
If The Wire is about America, The Sopranos is about humanity. In a sense the more focussed show, its all consuming lead is Tony Soprano, unforgettably played by the late James Gandolfini, but it’s far more than a gangster saga.
The ambitions of creator David Chase know no bounds. The Sopranos has taken stock of the modern American marriage, family and the ramifications our parents have on us, mental health and psychiatry, heritage, religion, and a hell of a lot more.
It can be heavy; it can also be hilarious, with the mafia characters capable of savage acts and moments of true idiocy. Its supporting cast is full of astonishing creations beyond Tony - Chris Moltisanti, Paulie Walnuts, and Carmela Soprano, Tony’s wife, sparring partner, and full fledged human beyond that - Edie Falco is deserving of endless praise for her work here.
The Sopranos was hall of fame TV from season one, but it somehow only gets deeper and richer from there. Chase’s willingness to reassess and adapt his focus is what makes it such incredible TV. It asks the big questions; bolder still, it admits that it can’t answer most of them.